AS GOVERNMENT formation talks concluded this week, Limerick Chamber published a number of key asks to be considered in forming a programme for the new government to help revitalise Limerick and the Mid West.
Covering areas such as housing, health, policing, transport, infrastructure, and more, Limerick Chamber’s Programme for Government document sets out key areas where investment in the region is needed.
The Chamber says that housing has become the “key priority” for its members in recent years as the lack of housing supply and costs associated with renting impact Limerick.
“The current housing crisis poses a severe threat to businesses, not just in the Mid West, but across all of Ireland,” the Chamber document read.
Calling for increased investment in Limerick by the Land Development Agency (LDA), the Chamber said that the government “interfering” in the private housing market by bulk purchasing homes for social housing, as well as the low affordable housing targets set by local authorities, should all be looked at.
“The extremely slow pace at which the LDA is bringing forward housing in Limerick must be investigated and solutions brought forward,” the Chamber hit out.
“The LDA has no county or city level targets, and only some local authorities have affordable housing targets, and those that do are far too low to have any impact on the wider market.”
The Chamber’s housing asks include an expanded help-to-buy scheme, an increase in the income limits for cost rental, changes to the vacant and derelict properties grant, and schemes brought forward to deliver affordable student accommodation.
As regards social housing, the Chamber called for an end to the reliance on the private market to deliver social homes, an ending to the tenant purchase scheme unless more homes are delivered, and a plan to reduce reliance on the Housing Assistance Payment, which it branded as a “an extremely poor investment for the State”.
In terms of policing, the business representative body have called on the new government to continue funding for the Community CCTV Scheme, increased numbers of Gardaí on Limerick’s streets, and funding for a dedicated mobile community policing van for Limerick.
The Chamber also called for a reintroduction of the nine per cent VAT rate for hospitality businesses, a plan to repurpose the Wyeth site in Askeaton, and a new hospital with an emergency department in the region, while also looking at shorter term options to alleviate the healthcare crisis in the region.
Chamber president Noel Gavin said that with the new government comes a call for bold leadership for Limerick and the Mid West.
“Over the past number of years, Ireland has faced persistent delays and inefficiencies in addressing some of its most pressing challenges,” the Chamber president said.
“The housing sector exemplifies this struggle. Despite growing demand for affordable homes, targets remain inadequate, and the pace of development lags far behind what is needed.
“Similarly, the energy transition, a cornerstone of our climate and economic strategies, has suffered from bureaucratic hurdles, delaying critical projects like offshore renewable energy development.”
